The Curse and the Blessing of Deadlines
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I started writing The Unfinished Song more than a decade ago.
It has twelve books, with a story arc planned from the start, yet the latest book out is Book 9 - Maze. I haven't finished the series yet.
"Stuff" happened that delayed me. And sometimes the next book itself delayed me.
The moral of the story? Maybe I should have set a deadline!
That's what I decided to do with my next series. And next. I vowed that I would publish two complete series this year: The Major Arcana Elf Tarot series and the Holiday Elf Tarot series, both a series of sweet, Paranormal Romances set in Arcana Glen, Colorado. The timeline in the books themselves determined by deadline, because the stores (which are independent but intertwined) occur over a year. They have to come out in the month they feature.
So far, I've met my deadlines, although in few cases, I was scrambling, and had to sheepishly (inside joke-some books have Sheep Shifters) go back and do a second editing. However, at least readers didn't have to wait six years between books!
This month, for the first time, I really regret my deadline. The final book in the Major Arcana series is more complex than the other books. The reason is obvious--it has to tie together all the plot lines. At the same time, I'm in between Thanksgiving feasts (different family members celebrate on different days) and so getting in the head-space is tricky.
If I could, I would set the novel aside for now and come back to it. But I can't. Because: deadlines.
Right now, I really hate deadlines!
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